i will grow you & feed you there.: cuLturE

culture...
what is it? where does it come from? what/who defines it? how can it change & who gets to change it? what is it not? does it look the same to all who are "in" it? is it/can it be good/bad or right/wrong? can you truly be "in" or "out" of a culture? is it possible to be a part of only one culture? if you could take a snapshot of your culture what would it look like?
i tell people i'm from the States & then they ask which state & i say, Indiana (most have no idea where it is). but what does that really mean? what does that say about who i am? how does being from the US & the Indiana culture affect who i am, the way i act, how i think, what i believe to be true, & how i see the world around me?

one of the parts of culture that has had an impact on me recently is assumption. the things the people "in" the culture take for granted, the norms, etc. the things a "native" to the culture probably doesn't think about. maybe it's just culture in general that has hit me hard because if culture is all the history, customs, symbols, language, beliefs, ways of living, food, etc. that make up a society then maybe it's the idea of culture that has been on my mind. the confusion of it, the intertwined-ness of it, the variations of it, etc.

think of your culture. whatever/wherever it is. may it's the US, maybe it's your school or your work, maybe it's your home or your church. now think of things that a complete stranger wouldn't know if they walked in the door or hit the airport floor in an American terminal. think of things you take for granted that you know how to do. maybe it's turning on the stove, maybe it's knowing who to ask for help, maybe it's knowing when you're being cheated by a street merchant, maybe it's whether or not you should take off your shoes, maybe it's knowing every song on the radio, maybe it's understanding your accent or language. these are things that strangers to your culture would not necessarily know.

ymca: this week was about the same as last week at the Y. it's been really good to get to know the staff & hear about what goes on at the Y. it's been fun to laugh & joke around with them. i've been thinking more about the history of the Y here & around the world, it's pretty interesting! click here for history of the Y.

innovista: we had our weekly team meeting, our weekly prayer meeting, brainstormed about Rise (program for the youth), & i attended my first Rise session. it was great to see the program at work & to see the students learning! i'm excited to see the program at work each week & see how the students progress as they learn about leadership & how they can help change their community!

brainstorming for Rise

last weekend, my housemate, grace, & i walked to a farmers' market which was so great! it was very sunny & warm (rare here) so it was a perfect day to be outside. simply beautiful!

fridays tend to be my "touristy" days as i usually walk around the city & discover new places. this helps me understand the city more & allows me to get a better grasp on where things are. last friday i went to the National Museum of Ireland which was awesome! so much old stuff!!! i absolutely loved it! things from like 1500 BC, you know, no biggie! yesterday, i ended up at a REALLY old church this time. and when i say old, i mean super old! it was established in 1190! it's called st. audeon's church, check out it's wikipedia page here.